Edith Bryan, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Edith Bryan

Teacher and activist for the deaf

Date of Birth: 29-Jun-1872

Place of Birth: Derby, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 29-Mar-1963

Profession: teacher, activist

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Edith Bryan (29 June 1872 – 29 March 1963) was an English teacher of the deaf, who after teaching in England and Ireland, emigrated to Australia and became one of the educators who contributed to the development of Special Education in Queensland.
Though trained in the oralist tradition, she supported the use of sign language and fingerspelling for teaching purposes.
From 1901 to 1926, she was the head teacher of the school operated by the Queensland Blind Deaf and Dumb Institute.
An activist, she pressed for the training of special education students to become mandatory, and fought for their teachers to be paid the same salaries as other teachers.
From 1926 to 1937 she taught at the Queensland school where she became responsible for the courses for deaf students.
After her retirement, she volunteered at the Edith Bryan Hostel, a facility that offered housing and medical assistance to deaf citizens.
She is considered to be one of the two most influential pioneers of special education in Queensland.